Secrets of the Revolution
by Rockin Sockin Robot
Summary: AU.VH ... Something evil is growing beneath the ground where a highly advanced civilization seeks protection from the barbaric countries of Gaea. But everything is thrown off course when Kanzaki Hitomi is kidnapped and meets a boy who changes her forever.
1. The Victim

The old man stood tall against the playful summer breeze. It gently tugged at the white hairs of his beard, tickling his freckled skin like a token of nature's affection. There was no feeling he enjoyed better than the pressure of an amiable wind.

This man had all the characteristics of one weary from witnessing all the sorrow in the world: the permanent facial wrinkles of a grimace, a shaky stance from mistreated nerves, and thick grey eyebrows that, well…_kinda_ made him look angry most of the time. He thought himself like a dried leaf: swept off its last landing spot, forever dragged onward by a humourless wind, and bits of it would gently break off along the journey until eventually there was nothing left.

But the wrinkles that were his skin were warm, and the frail remains of his muscles would work to maintain a kind smile until the bitter end… Plus, the eyebrows were somewhat endearing. With all that and the wind as his companion, this old man had reason enough to be very content indeed.

Opposite of him stood the girl seeming quite indifferent about the weather. Her bony frame was angled towards him, but her eyes were vacant and fixed on a point beyond his shoulder, as if uninterested. She was young and quite healthy, but was sadly without any valuable experiences, so this girl felt no sadness as they parted.

The man held out his hand. It was a weathered, veined hand that twitched and shook, but it was always warm and promising. The girl then placed her cold, much thinner hand in his, and shook it.

"I wish you the very best of luck," said the old man kindly.

"Thank you," she replied.

"I trust you will summon up every last bit of strength you have to do this," he said, never without sincerity.

"I will carry out this request," she said. "Afterwards, I will find you."

"Good," he said. "I will see you then…afterwards."

The breeze began to noticeably lose its strength. As if to spite its frailty, it forced one last gush of air, which lingered like the quiet sob of one who has accepted life's misery does.

There was an importance difference between these two characters: _he_ lied, _she_ did not.

* * *

**≈ Chapter One: The Victim ≈**

**

* * *

**

A boot was tied, a cloak was tightened, and two thick gloves were adjusted. The cold weather revealed human breath in streams of cloud while the resilient rain hammered down on the Fanelian valley. But to Van Fanel, this was the ideal weather to wait for someone out of doors. Don't ask why. He liked it, that's all.

But a small shaky vehicle pulled up in front of him all too soon. The carriage door opened and two men unceremoniously stumbled out of it, seeking shelter in the castle's entrance. Neither one noticed Van, nor that he was solid, until all three collided head on, ending up in a messy tangle of limbs.

"What the devil are you doing!" one cried.

"Watch your damn feet, boy!" someone else demanded.

"Stop screaming in my ear, for goodness's sake!" the other someone pleaded.

Somebody prodded somebody else, somebody else was kicked by the other trying to free his leg, and the boyish fighting ensued for a few painful moments.

"Wait!" exclaimed the first. "HEY! I said, WAIT! Stop trying to strangle me for a minute…if we must, let us bicker in shelter."

"Hang on…"

"Ouch!"

Three wet men stumbled up a set of stairs and sighed with relief, shielded from the shower by a wooden rooftop. They didn't dally for long. They exchanged some glances, grunts of greeting, and it was soon decided that a warm fire might be preferable to standing outside in the cold. Once or twice, someone might have attempted to converse. Then somebody else realized that it was well past midnight and time to go to sleep. What a waste of words.

Van escorted his guests to their rooms and politely asked the maid to see that they be properly dried and attended to. As he went to bed himself, he was grateful for the opportunity to rest so soon. It had been a long day and he was in no mood to play host, especially since his guests had come so unexpectedly. So you only can imagine how shocked and appalled Van was, not only to find that his guests were up at the crack of dawn, but that they were in his room, smothering his mouth, and shaking him awake rather violently.

"Van, please be quiet," whispered one man.

He was tall, blonde, and did his best to sound reassuring, which might have worked if the other hadn't a death grip on Van's face. So instead of settling down, His Majesty graciously attempted to communicate with some civility to his so-called friends through the five large, calloused fingers.

"Holy shit, what are you doing to me!"

"Gaddes, do you have to do that?" said the first quietly.

"It's kinda fun, sir," replied Gaddes.

"Cut it out, he's just a kid."

"Fine…hey! Hey! Shut up, will ya? OW!"

"That's enough!"

"Allen! Explain yourself!"

"Sir, HE BIT ME!"

It took some time, but when everyone settled down at last and the corridor was checked for the odd passer-by or eavesdropper, Van was told that it was urgent that he left the castle immediately.

"Why?"

"Van, there's no time…"

A loud creak came from what they hoped was a few rooms away. There was a moment's silence. At this, the men left at once. They climbed out of Van's bedroom window and edged along a thin ledge on the castle wall, hidden beneath a thick curtain of ivy. Van took hold of the vines, some protruding bricks, and slowly began to climb downwards. The other two followed, uncertainly.

Van soon stopped climbing and began searching for some grooves in the castle wall. When he found them, he dug his fingers into them and tugged sideways. It slid open to reveal a small opening just barely big enough to fit a full grown man. This was a childhood discovery of Van's which he had almost forgotten, and that always proved useful in his youth. The opening led to a weapon storage room from which they carefully made their way outside.

"I've arranged to meet some friends at Brahem tomorrow afternoon," said Allen, once they were safely inside the secluded woods. "Until then, we travel by foot."

No one wasted their breath complaining. Brahem was a small village two or three days by carriage if it followed the clear roadway which went all the way around the mountains and forest of the valley. Allen, however, wished to take the faster and less conspicuous route through the forest of a mountain pass. Even then, the journey was only shortened by a day, and if the three men wished to make their appointment in Brahem, most of their travel time would be spent sprinting. But for Van, it was the idea that they could little afford to spare time for chatting before reaching Brahem that was dampening, not the exercise. All he could do was trust his friend.

* * *

Hitomi opened her eyes slowly. She liked to lie fully awake with her eyes closed for several minutes before waking up. She didn't know why. She sat upright and looked around her room. Of what she was looking for, she didn't know – something unusual, perhaps. 

This morning felt different than others. She had a dream of the old man again, but her body was aching with something strange. Her throat felt tight and the muscles in her abdomen were sore as if she'd been clenching them all night. There was some depressant agent that was weighing her down, and whatever it was, it made her eyes water very slightly. Only the Professor could make her feel such things.

More than that, however, Hitomi felt cold as she thought about her next meeting with the Professor. She was conscious of the emptiness within her. She was dreading something.

After sitting absolutely still for a moment or two, she rose from her bed and went to her bathroom. Whatever had happened just then, she had already dismissed and forgotten. She cleaned herself, left the bathroom, and then left her room.

Not every unit had private bathrooms in each quarter. Children often had to share a single bathroom situated in the hallway of their unit. Hitomi felt privileged to have her own bathroom, but didn't think she would mind sharing a bathroom with another as well. After the age of eleven, individuals are assigned to different sectors of the society where they are grouped with others being trained for similar occupations. Hitomi reasoned that she had never encountered any trainees like herself because their lessons were all scheduled at different times.

Hitomi's room led to a hallway, which led to a clear, tubular elevator. She took this and it led her to a vestibule with similar elevator shafts on either side. There were seven in all. She exited the room by the small door on the opposite wall.

Being outside was not much different from being in the units. There was perhaps more space and the occasional patch of green flooring. But the blank walls of the tunnel walkways emanated a strong glare that would only let Hitomi focus on her own movements. She did not enjoy this, and was always glad to reach the flat wall that was the end. As soon as she did, Hitomi was soon greeted by a black electronic panel.

A smooth voice soon filled the walkway and a small red light flickered between syllables. _It doesn't matter_. Hitomi was instructed to never pay too much attention to whatever the voice may say, although it always said the same thing:

"Greetings, Leis."

She pressed her designated key code onto the panel. The panel and a rectangle of white wall around it slid open, and Hitomi stepped inside.

Training was as it always was: information was fed to her brain in the most direct way possible. She was comfortable; there were no glaring walls to distract her. The subject matter seemed as meaningless as ever, but Hitomi could feel the changes happening in her mind. It was as if thoughts of nothingness were inflating their indistinguishable selves. This was a regular sensation. _Everything is going well_. Questions… Answers… Things… To Hitomi, these were memorized words without meaning. A "smile" is a physical distortion of the face used to express happiness, not to be confused with "simile," and nothing more.

A gentle ring sounded in a nearby speaker which meant that the learning session was over, and another smooth voice instructed her to proceed to the next station for a three minute recreational period. In the dark Recreation Room, there were large glowing posters on the walls. Hitomi wasn't sure what they depicted, but she often enjoyed staring at the abstract combinations of bright colours.

Going through this procession of rooms was how Hitomi spent the first half of every day. After the Recreation Room came the Food Court, which was a fairly long room containing a large rectangular table with several chairs tucked neatly underneath it. Every day, a small package of food would be placed in front of a different chair on which she was to promptly sit and eat. Next was the Examination Room where she would let herself be scanned by a thin red light.

After all of that, she would meet with her designated tutor and do a series of random tasks. Sometimes they were to work with small instruments she didn't recognize and dissect a number of rubbery objects. She practiced knots, and stacked heavy boxes. Other times she had been asked to tie rope around a chair, connect it to a pulley and hoist herself upwards on it. This session could last as long 45 minutes, or be as short as 5 minutes. At the end, she would be given her full evaluation for the day and was then sent for a quick medical examination. When her results were good or above average, Hitomi would momentarily feel pleased with herself. If they were not, which wasn't often, the next day's tasks would be much longer and she would be given extra medication. On this day in particular, Hitomi's performances were slightly below her average.

"Your level of productivity has decreased," said the tutor. "Explain yourself."

Hitomi had been told this before, and was once instructed by someone not to answer, so she never did. She waited silently and without worry for the command to proceed to the Health Center. She didn't get one. Surprised, Hitomi was instead sent to the Infirmary and her tutor gave her a red access card. The striking crimson colour seemed to burn into her eyes.

This was very unfamiliar procedure to Hitomi. She was always prepared for anything she should encounter well in advance, and this was very strange protocol. Hitomi abruptly felt her heartbeat quicken and a chill trickled down her spine as she moved down an unfamiliar walkway. Her stomach hurt in a way that wasn't painful but a little nauseating, and she wondered if she was ill. No, she was _fearful_, but that word hadn't occurred to her in thinking of a description of her feeling. For once, her memory completely failed her, and Hitomi was consumed entirely by the sensation. Each time she changed elevators or corridors, the feeling worsened.

With an unexplainable jolt of panic, Hitomi saw a strange light coming in from some glass windows ahead and ran to it without thinking. She looked outside and realized two things: she had exited the Activity Building altogether for the first time in her life, and that what she felt was a familiar sensation of dread.

* * *

Van tightened his cloak which, he realized, he luckily still had on in his haste to sleep the night before. His boots sunk right into the ground, muddy from the night before, but somehow he managed to keep up with Allen's frantic pace. All three men were breathing heavily but refused to show any other sign of wanting to rest. They were sprinting, jogging, or striding, without pattern; it was all according to however Allen felt like moving at that instance. The only thing they did regularly was rest to eat. 

Erratic pacing was not Allen's usual method of travel, and Van wondered, as they stopped for a drink at a spring, what could be so serious that Allen was this troubled. In a sudden moment of paranoia, Van wildly thought they were fleeing from a coming invasion which Fanelia's proud but small forces could do little to arrest.

He glared at Allen for a moment, wondering fiercely why he would trick him into committing such an act of cowardice. But Allen's perpetually thoughtful face revealed nothing other than that the issue was a matter of urgency, and Van was comforted in concluding that his friend would only make decisions for him if the situation was completely out of Van's control.

The sun was steadily rising judging from the growing light of the sky, but the air was still damp and cold. There was still quite some time to pass before midday, and Van wondered how much distance they had covered. He had asked Allen this only to be dismissed with an extremely vague answer; also inconsistent with Allen's usual manner.

Van was starting to grow impatient. He disliked being ignorant of circumstances which he was quite clearly involved in. Who wouldn't? Van may even be able to contribute something, but could not because Allen was treating him like a child – something that would _not_ be unusual of Allen to do. Perhaps Allen thought that to trust Van was _not acting in his best interest_, thought Van bitterly. Well, Van refused to give Allen the satisfaction of having him dumbly cooperate.

"Alright, you two, I've had enough of this," said Van, with as much seriousness as he could muster. "Tell me what the hell is going on!"

"Shut up, boy," snapped Gaddes at once. "And move faster!"

Van felt himself go red in the face. To be called 'boy' so instinctively was deeply insulting to Van, who felt he'd always been unfairly denied the right to a manly independence by older men and women alike. His entire face contorted into an ugly glare. Now was being _insulted_ for it when he was so frustrated about this lack of control to begin with! Van was burning all over in anger and self-pity. He was right about these condescending men he'd considered friends. They'd been quick to assume that Van was incapable of anything beyond eating and reading, just as the Fanelian elders did.

But just when Van was about to explode with resentment, he recalled a certain drunken remark made to him that he'd tried to forget for three years.

"_You were never soldier material, my boy! Just stay home and leave the wars to us, ha ha ha!_"

Van suddenly felt a sickening sense of shame creep into his stomach. …He _did_ have one chance to completely break ties with everything in his life that held him back. And the results of this chance were a very painful reminder indeed that men like Allen and Gaddes had good reason to decide for him the way that they did. Van's anger disappeared at once and he dwelled silently on this humbling memory. He was so ashamed that he couldn't even notice Allen's sharp look to Gaddes, nor Gaddes's surprise from the absence of Van's retaliation.

This was not some petty adventure like the kind in which Van always fantasized he'd prove himself through a remarkable act of bravery and strength. Van decided he would be firm with himself about that. Allen and Gaddes were helping him avoid something dangerous, and there was no time for settling his childish desire to be taken seriously.

* * *

In a small square room with a low ceiling, a uniformed man was sitting by an impressive computer-system. The room had a faint but permanent smell of coffee, as its occupants were rarely without it, and sure enough, there was a grey mug half-full of the now lukewarm liquid. Unfortunately, the man seemed too exhausted to be revived by any amount of caffeine he should take in. Nonetheless, he was typing into the computer as quickly as he could while alternately speaking into a mouthpiece on his black headset. 

After a few tense moments of working, the man leaned back in his chair, stretched out his arms, and yawned widely. With great effort, he reached for his mug and began to drain it so that it wouldn't be sitting out any longer. But halfway through, he suddenly stopped drinking, put the mug down, and looked around the room.

He thought he had heard an unusual noise behind him, just then…perhaps not. He sighed. The man dearly wished the take a break, but daybreak was an unusually important time for these people, and some very important transactions happened at this time.

A small, blinking red icon appeared at the bottom right of the screen. Clicking on it, the man was told that the wind pressure in one of the air vents was decreasing. He groaned aloud – some stupid animal must have wandered in one of the ventilation shafts again, and was blocking it. Each sector had a different system of vents, and since only two or three people in each sector were up overseeing transactions at this time, he would have to take care of it himself.

He searched for the room nearest the blocked vent and the number of his working room popped up. Hoping it wasn't a bird, he crossed to the back of the room were the shaft opening was, and lifted its metal door open. The opening was the bottom of a vertical shaft that was too dark to see anything.

Blink. Blink. Blink. Another icon appeared on the screen – the fan for his ventilation shaft was broken.

"Damn, damn, damn!" he cried in panic.

A broken fan was a little more serious. The animal had probably gotten caught in it. Now it would take that much longer for the other fans to circulate the air in this sector. The man grabbed a phone to call up someone from Machinery Repair while simultaneously entering some password-requiring commands onto the computer, opening up their channel of air to a nearby sector.

He didn't even have time to dial the number, however, before something solid hit the bottom of the shaft as if it were a landing. The man froze from shock, but only for a moment. In the next instance, he whirled around and pulled out a pistol.

No one was there.

Sweating profusely, he gyrated on the spot and scanned the room – nothing. And then, a moment too late, he jerked his head upwards to see something dark land on his shoulders and knock him right out.

The intruder did not need to gather her bearings. She picked up the guard's unusual weapon, remembering how he held it, and darted out of the room.

She found herself in a white corridor with seven numbered doors, and an eighth that read, 'Exit Surface Control Center'. She took this door, which lead to a room full of glass tubes that she did not recognize. A large number 75 was painted in black on the wall. Someone suddenly glided down from one of the tubes, and the front of the glass slid open. He was about to step out until he saw the intruder, but he barely screamed before he suffered a blow to the side of his neck with a small club.

The intruder observed the glass carefully. A red arrow pointing downwards blinked beside it, which could only mean that stepping into it would take her downwards. She was hesitant, however, not knowing how to work the foreign controls inside it.

"We have an intruder in the Surface Control Center!" someone cried desperately. "Estimated level 78…"

The intruder heard this voice coming from a small black box attached to the hip of the unconscious man. She thought quickly. They were three levels off, not yet knowing that she took the ventilation shaft, so she must take advantage of this extra time and descend quickly. She ran into the elevator and hastily selected the floor fifteen floors below hers, hoping it would take her someplace useful.

The glass room plunged with considerable speed and she was at the sixtieth floor in what felt like no time at all. The door slid open and she was in the same kind of elevator room, but instead of the number sixty, the word 'INFIRMARY' was painted on the wall in giant black letters.

There, someone appeared to be waiting for her. He was dressed in a white lab coat, wore black rubber gloves, and spoke to her.

"Leis?" he said. "Why have you not come from the Activity Building?"

Without pausing to understand this, the intruder knocked this man out as well.

* * *

Hitomi knew where she was being sent. 

It was not simply the Infirmary, but the Surgery Room. She once had a dream about the Surgery Room, and the Professor had told her it was a real experience that she had somehow forgotten. Hitomi refused to believe the Professor then, but was now convinced that he was right.

The red access card appeared in her dream, and she was also sent out of the Activity Building then, too. Once she reached the Infirmary, a strange-looking man led her into the Surgery Room and told her to lie on a table. They asked her to breathe into a plastic cup-like device that made her body numb and her vision clouded, but she was still awake. In this drug-induced state, her head rolled lazily down to her shoulder and she looked around the room.

The first sight that met her eyes was horrifying.

A man was being similarly worked on close by, but this man soon proved to be much different from her. This man was strangely round and bulging around the torso, reminding Hitomi vaguely of this picture of a pregnant female. His limbs were held in position with large metal cuffs, and he was screaming and writhing with pain in such a way that frightened Hitomi, but she couldn't look away. Then she saw him change before her very eyes.

In one moment, his face was scrunched in agony and he tried desperately to free himself from his binds. In one moment, he was still human. But in the next, his entire body burst itself open in bloody gashes, revealing some kind of creature that was clearly tearing itself out of its human cage. The men surrounding it backed away hurriedly.

Blood and ripped flesh flew about everywhere as this monster thrashed and thrashed. It was held down by a tight belt around its middle that was doing little to stop its violent tantrum. The thing was greyish and small, but muscular, with limbs and a face covered with sharp spikes. Blood was dripping from its long, sharp teeth as it if had been feasting on the man's insides. It's completely white eyeballs seemed to roll around madly in their sockets until two tiny black pupils revealed themselves. They stopped rolling and were suddenly fixed hungrily on Hitomi.

Hitomi desperately tried to move away, but was held in place with the same metal bindings. The creature continued to howl and thrash, splattering more blood on the floor. Panicking, she begged the men around her for help, but they instead approached her with a number of sharp cutting tools. Hitomi thought about the agonized face of that man and panicked even more. She wanted to squirm away. She wanted to put herself as far as possible from the newly born demon. She wanted _somebody_ to stop that new sharp pain in her mind. _Anybody_!

Hitomi was helpless as she watched the men press their tools into her skin. She should have felt nothing, but her mind called up more of its own pain as if to compensate, and her threshold for pain was reaching its peak. Hitomi tried not to watch herself get cut open and was close to fainting. Her fresh blood seemed to further entice the beast, which cried out more than ever. Red hot tears were streaming down her face. Her head felt ready to explode with pain, and she wanted everything to end.

Hitomi opened her eyes wide and she screamed.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

The intruder smothered the girl at once, muffling the sound. She wrestled her for a moment and forced her back into the elevator. Struggling for breath, Hitomi saw a man through the glass lying on the floor with his eyes shut, and realized he was one of the ones from her dream. She screamed again as the intruder pushed the button for the 79th floor. The intruder immediately struck Hitomi's face, and Hitomi fell painfully against the glass wall of the elevator. Her eyes watered and Hitomi began shaking uncontrollably.

"Be silent and do as I say or I'll break your fingers off," said the intruder, twisting Hitomi's arm behind her.

Hitomi bit down on her lip from the pain, but did not cry out again. They were passing floors at lightning speed, and the intruder seemed briefly satisfied.

"Move, now!" snapped the intruder when they arrived at their floor.

The intruder roughly grasped her frightened prisoner's upper arm. She pulled Hitomi out of the elevator and took them through a hardly visible door behind it, leading to a wide ventilation shaft. She fastened Hitomi to her waist with some leather straps and proceeded to climb up the vent on a knotted rope that she undoubtedly left there. After several minutes of hard work, they reached an opening that the intruder kicked open and swung into.

The room was dimly lit and filled with large metal pipelines. The intruder opened a thick round door to their left that was just big enough for someone to crawl through. She turned a large metal wheel to open it, and as it opened, the most putrid stink filled their unfortunate nostrils.

"Hurry up!" hissed the intruder, who shoved Hitomi through it headfirst.

Hitomi gasped as she fell forward and slammed onto a moist platform a few feet below the small door. Beyond that, she could see nothing. All she knew was the overpowering stench, and the sound of running water. The intruder was at her side at once and sealed the door shut with another wheel. She grabbed Hitomi by the arm once again and began sprinting into the darkness, letting Hitomi stagger clumsily to her feet.

The intruder soon lit a flashlight, something she had some difficulty with in the dark, and Hitomi suddenly understood where they were. She gagged – they were in a sewage system! The intruder already seemed accustomed to the smell, however, and forced her to move on.

Hitomi was breathless by this point. She'd done exercising routines in the Activity Building before, but none this rigorous. Her limbs were all sore and she was bruised from being shoved, hit, and dragged around so much.

The two of them stopped running after some time, and the intruder's flashlight shone on a small row boat. The intruder pushed the boat into the watery waste and ordered Hitomi to get in. Hitomi was uneasy as she stepped into it. She tried not to think about the fluids that swam past them as the intruder rowed through it all. Then the intruder began to speak.

"Now that you and I have made contact, these people no longer see you as one of their own," she said tonelessly. "Anyone who chases me from this point on has every intention of killing you as well. If you want to live, you need to listen to everything I tell you."

Hitomi was speechless. This woman was cruel for saying such things to her. Why were these terrible things happening to her? How could anyone from her facility want her _dead_? She was taken against her will! She never meant to be disobedient, and surely they would understand _that_!

And yet, every word the intruder said had made some sense. Perhaps it was because of what she'd seen those men do in the Surgery Room that Hitomi thought it possible. None of those men were as disturbed as she to see that patient die, nor even surprised. Hitomi thought about any tutor she'd ever had, or any person she'd ever encountered, and only recalled their indifferent behaviour towards her. She felt cold inside. They may not mind killing her after all. In such a case, there very well could be nowhere for her to go.

But before Hitomi could think about her situation for another moment, the boat hit something solid. The intruder suddenly stopped paddling. She let the boat float slowly forwards and was listening intently for another sound. Hitomi tried to listen too, but only heard distant sounds of running water. Seconds passed in silence, and then…

THUMP.

There it was again. This time it was harder and sharper, as if something propelled itself toward the boat as an attack. The intruder put one of the paddles down into the boat, and held the other like a club. She began scanning the dark water around them. Hitomi didn't dare move or make a sound.

Hitomi fixed her eyes on a spot of water to her right. She was too afraid to look around and see something unpleasant. But as if someone had read her mind, something within the water flashed into appearance and disappeared right away. The intruder looked that way as well, hearing the splash. She carefully motioned for Hitomi to pick up the other paddle.

Hitomi, carelessly thinking that the intruder wanted her to move the boat, plunged the paddle into the waste water before she could be stopped. All of a sudden, something rammed into the piece of wood and Hitomi lifted it out of the water at once.

Attached to the paddle was a fat water demon. Hitomi looked at the intruder who was already raising her paddle to hit the demon. The demon was an ugly little thing with purplish skin and short tentacles with white suckers underneath. Attached to it was a jagged kind of shell, and the creature was oozing a thick white mucus that smoked as it crept down the paddle. The intruder wasted not another second and deftly knocked it off into the water.

"Help me paddle quickly," she said to Hitomi. "We've angered it and it will bring more mutated sea creatures if we linger. We're almost there."

Both of them worked furiously to move the boat. At first, they kept moving too far to the left because Hitomi couldn't paddle as well as the other, and eventually had to alternate sides to keep a steady direction. They were moving a lot faster than before, at least, which was good because their boat was getting hit more and more frequently now. Every now and then, Hitomi would accidentally hit a water demon with her paddle and hoped that none had chosen to attach themselves to it.

Hitomi was breathing with difficulty again. Not only was each breath painful, but it meant inhaling gulps of that undesirable reek over and over. She could hear more splashing creatures and almost felt all of them swarming around the boat. The intruder must have noticed it as well, because she put on a sudden burst of speed and urged Hitomi to do so as well. The boat was getting harder to move, and the water levels getting closer to its brim. Was it somehow getting _heavier_?

"That's where we need to get off," said the intruder, pointing with her flashlight to a large tunnel.

The water was an inch away from the brim of the boat. Larger splashes flung some of the diluted waste into the boat, only making the girls paddle harder. Heavier things were knocking into their boat, sometimes pushing them forward a little. More water spilt into the boat. _Almost there_…

At last, the boat hit the opening of the tunnel. It was just as they heard something piercing the bottom, making them jump. The intruder scrambled out of the boat, nearly tipping it over, and hauled Hitomi out with her. As the two of them dashed down the dry tunnel, Hitomi looked over her shoulder and glimpsed their boat getting upturned and splintered into pieces.

They reached a ladder indented in a wall and both were soon climbing out of a barred opening. The first breath of fresh air felt glorious as it passed through Hitomi's lungs. They had no time to rest, however.

The intruder crept behind an enormous shipment box and Hitomi followed suit. She took a good look around, but the only things she saw were airships. They were at a station of some kind, and there was a cement floor beneath their feet, but no walls and no roof. Hitomi looked up and saw a glimpse of something dark blue beyond the ships.

"Do you see those trees over there?" muttered the intruder, pointing to the edge of a dense forest. "Our goal is to reach them safely. If they see us, we'll be killed instantly."

Bit by bit, hiding behind boxes, under wagons, feeling tense and afraid for their lives, they made their way towards the forest. There were men patrolling the perimeter of the cemented area, and passing them would be hardest. The trick was to go just as they were switching stations. The girls moved as close to the guards as they could. As they did, they overheard a message one of them received on his radio set.

"The top fifteen levels are cleared … level 55 is sealed off … a subject taken prisoner … may be trying to escape … They are to be shot on sight..."

"Now!" mouthed the intruder.

She leapt up from her hiding spot and knocked out one guard with her club. He fell down and noisily knocked over a table. Two more men whirled around in their direction, pulling out their guns. The intruder tried using the pistol she had stolen, but, not expecting such force in firing, she shot the ground instead. Casting it aside, she pulled out a short dagger and threw it expertly, hitting one guard just above his knee. As he crumpled to the ground, they ran for it.

They zigzagged across the open grass as fast as their legs would go when the other guards began to fire at them. They were a hundred paces from the forest's edge, and bullets showered the ground around them, getting closer each time. The intruder swore, and shoved Hitomi ahead of her to encourage some speed. Just as she was taking her hand off Hitomi's back, a bullet went right through her shoulder. She cried out from the intense pain but kept running like before. Hitomi turned to look at her, but was yelled at to keep moving.

More bullets came at them and Hitomi was less than ten paces away from the safety of the trees, but the intruder was falling behind. Frightened, Hitomi grabbed her uninjured arm and heaved her forward, despite the intruder's protests.

BANG. BANG.

One bullet hit a tree and the other went right through the intruder's stomach, leaving the pair to stumble into the woods. Hitomi winced as the other woman let out a deafening cry, but refused to stop moving them both. Hitomi half-carried the dying woman as far as she could into the forest before the intruder fell over and pulled Hitomi down with her.

They were both cut and bruised, but Hitomi still scrambled to get the woman back onto her feet. She would not have it, however, and shoved Hitomi away with what little strength she had left. They were both covered in the intruder's blood, and Hitomi began panicking. The intruder was gasping and crying, and covered the fatal wound feebly with her hands. Hitomi felt like crying out as well, but remembering her order to stay silent, she just covered her mouth with her bloody hands.

"Take these," said the intruder with great difficulty.

The intruder's face was streaming with tears and she seemed to be hiccupping as she spoke. Hitomi was tossed her leather belt, to which was attached a number of things Hitomi paid no attention to. Next, the intruder drew from her an inner breast pocket a compass, and told Hitomi to follow the arrow and go north.

"GO, you stupid girl," she spat with gritted teeth. "Don't get caught."

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she stopped moving.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hello! Thanks so, so much for reading chapter one. It's been a while since I've written anything on so needless to say my story writing needs some work. Reading it over a couple of times, I realized that there's something lacking in my descriptions, and I hope I haven't bored the pants off anyone. If so, have this staple as a token of my appreciation:

Criticism is always very welcome, though I do ask you to be as specific as possible.

This is a re-write of one of my stories that long-time users might recognize. I've decided to take this project up again because I need the practice, but need a clean slate. It was inspired by Lois Lowry's classic novel The Giver. I suppose that whole "isolated society with no colour or emotion" idea comes from the book, but I like to think it's significantly different. I'm terribly sorry if whatever damage I've done (or will do) here may in some way butcher the novel, but please keep in mind that I'm just a loser writing for fun.

* * *


	2. The Plot

Van woke up the next morning feeling bruised and sore. He'd curled up against the base of a large tree – his chosen bed – and, cradled by the thick roots around him, Van fell asleep at once. However, the tree trunk and the forest floor were no feather-stuffed pillow and duvet set. Van stood up, stretched, and rubbed his cramped limbs for a bit before joining Allen and Gaddes by a small campfire.

"Good morning, Princess," grunted Gaddes. His voice was scratchy from being so unused.

Van ignored him. Allen passed him a pouch of water and a small rodent cooked on a stick. Van took them both gratefully, thinking to himself that he'd eaten much worse before. When he finished, all three wordlessly stood up and began moving.

The forest trees were getting smaller and farther apart now. From this, Van could tell that they were quite close to Brahem. They kept moving, the ground before them gradually becoming a downward slope. When they finally crossed the last row of trees, they were greeted by a wide open field. A nice cool breeze grazed over them, making Van inhale deeply and contentedly for this scent reminded him of home.

"You can see the town's gate from here," said Allen, pointing to a long wooden wall in the distance. "Come on, men, we're almost there."

Van felt like a member of Allen's crew when he said this. This normally would have made Van feel immensely proud. Instead, he felt a little uneasy when he thought of his country and how he had practically abandoned it – Van just couldn't bring himself to feel excited about this little adventure anymore. He was even too tired to wonder when Allen would explain what was going on to him properly. Van frowned and wondered what Balgus thought of him disappearing. Would he be disappointed in him? Would everyone believe he had gone on another irresponsible escapade?

Allen turned and noticed Van's worried expression.

"Van, try not to worry about Fanelia," he said, trying to reassure him. "Balgus knows where you've gone – we spoke to him just before we got you out of there. He promised to look after things for you."

"Balgus knows?" repeated Van quietly.

"Yes."

"How much does he know?" said Van, his temper slowly rising.

Allen was silent.

"_Tell me_, Allen," said Van, trying hard to keep resentment out of his voice, "does Balgus know more than I do?"

Still, Allen said nothing. Van felt his temper rise again.

"And tell me, _friend_," he continued, bitterly, "why did you tell me nothing while we were deep in the forest where we likely had the most seclusion? You're not even planning to explain anything once we're in Brahem, are you?"

"There are more inhabitants in forests than you think," said Allen, simply.

"Then tell me _now_," demanded Van.

Allen fell silent and considered him for a moment. Van looked at him with contempt. It was easy for Allen to say Van was being childish when he was quite aware of the reason for doing what they did. Van was tired, only having had a few hours of sleep, underfed, dirty, and had his ordinary life suddenly disrupted. And none of this was in the slightest more than he could bear, but Van could only allow himself to follow orders blindly for so long. Allen usually never had to feel like this, since he was always in the position of commander. No wonder he was so bloody narrow minded.

"Fine," said Allen at last. "But frankly I have no time to council you through this if anything becomes unbearable for you to deal with."

"_Fine_," mimicked Van, trying to ignore Allen's presumptuous remark.

"I've been informed that a person of influential position is trying to assassinate you," said Allen gravely. "I don't know who it is yet, but hopefully the contacts that we're meeting with in Brahem can tell me."

"And I don't suppose you can tell me why I'm to be assassinated?" asked Van.

"No, I can't, but I'm fairly certain it has nothing to do with a grudge of any kind against Fanelia," replied Allen. "This person has some ulterior motive to be sure."

"I see," said Van thoughtfully. And then, noticing the appraising look that Allen gave him, he said, "I'm not sorry for wanting to know, Allen."

"I know," he replied with an understanding nod. "And are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Van said truthfully, "as long as it has nothing to do with my country."

"Good."

≈ **Chapter Two: The Plot ≈**

Hitomi was frightened. She had followed the red arrow on the dead woman's compass as she was instructed, but did it at a frantic run, and only stopped when she could no longer hear people behind her. Finally having slowed to a walk, Hitomi kept moving forward until she found herself claimed by a new fear: she was in a dark, foreign climate feeling weak, in pain, and all alone.

Hitomi's head was throbbing with a pain that she had never experienced before. It made her feel dizzy and lightheaded, something she didn't know how to contend with. She dearly wanted to rest, but she didn't know where to do that. There were no seats, buildings, no houses, or any kind of civilization. The ground was uneven, unpaved, and covered in wild plants that Hitomi might have recognized if she weren't so preoccupied. Hitomi didn't have the slightest clue about actually living in the wild. She knew the technical definitions for 'forest' and 'wild', but they did her little good now.

Exhausted and feeling quite sick, Hitomi leaned against a tree. The bark was rough to the touch, and there were bugs crawling all over the tree trunk, making Hitomi quickly recoil. She looked around desperately and began to panic. Suddenly, Hitomi doubled over as if in pain, clutching her stomach and feeling sick. Her face was covered with sweat. She kept trying to wipe it away but she would just sweat more than before.

It wasn't just Hitomi's face, either, but her entire body seemed to be sweating. Hitomi clawed at her clothing. Her outfit was made from a light material that was designed to preserve body heat in cold weather and cool the body quickly in warm weather, but it didn't seem to be doing its job. It used to be completely white, but was now stained with blood, dirt, and grime. Hitomi looked at her shoes that were shaped to help her move more easily for most forms of physical exercise. When she saw them covered with mud and a little sewage, and Hitomi tried to not gag.

Her stomach felt cold and she never stopped shaking. Hitomi looked up and saw that the ceiling beyond the trees was a lighter blue than before. Her head throbbed even more, and she fell to the ground, breathing heavily. The thin blades of grass softened her collapse, and Hitomi felt a little more comfortable than before. Forgetting to be afraid, she fell asleep at once.

**break ... break  
**

Brahem was a small town that was essentially one big rest stop for travellers. And when one man moved on, three more would generally take his place. It never ran low on business there, and native shopkeepers always carefully guarded their profitable property from strangers looking to buy land. It wasn't quite so busy to attract too much attention, but you could usually count on a store in Brahem to bring in a solid living in average wealth.

Allen led the way to a small tavern called The Tabby Cat. They were greeted by an attractive looking woman with wavy red hair, long legs, and an eye colour that nobody could remember. Allen told her that they had reserved a room under the name 'Crusade'. The woman consulted a list of reservations, nodded when she saw the name, and took them to a room upstairs.

The room was very cramped – it seemed to be a room for two with an extra cot squished in between the separate beds, and these took up most of the space. Despite this, the room was very clean, and the first night at the inn included both dinner and breakfast for free, so the place was deemed pleasant. None of them had any heavy belongings to unpack, so they went straight to the restaurant downstairs for a drink.

"Who exactly are we meeting today, Allen?" asked Van after they seated themselves in a booth at the far corner of the eating area.

"Some thief from Astauria that I caught a few months ago near Castelo Fort, the place I was originally posted," replied Allen, as he leaned back and casually swept his eyes around the room. "He offered to become an informant for me as long as I didn't send him back to the prison in Palas as I had intended to. He was the one who told me about your assassination in the first place. I'm still not sure how reliable he is, but he knew enough about our affiliation to tell me what I wanted to hear."

"Do you think he'll even show up, today?" asked Van, curiously.

"Yes, I do," said Allen shortly. "He's being accompanied by two of my men. But even without them, he wouldn't try to escape."

"Why not?"

"Because he is in great danger at present, knowing what he does," Allen said grimly. "Being my informant offers him some protection, you see. I have reason to believe he sought me out for this reason to begin with. It was an unlucky coincidence that I caught him stealing when we met."

From a short distance away, Van heard a woman burst out in laughter and he jumped. Suddenly, Van felt very exposed discussing these secret affairs in such a public place. Surely someone must have them talking about this thief. What if they were reported He was tempted to look around to see if anybody was listening, but that might make them look even more suspicious. Instead, he continued speaking in a hushed voice.

"Allen, is it wise for us to meet him like this?" he asked. "Shouldn't we have asked for a private room?"

"I don't think so," Allen said lightly, glancing around again. "It's quite busy today, and if we don't shout, we'll be very difficult to overhear."

Van still didn't share Allen's confidence and he wondered vaguely if Allen was being careless. Gaddes didn't look very bothered either; he gazed out the window almost lazily and watched as people went by. Did they not realize how serious this was? …No, Allen was not stupid. Perhaps this was just an act to avoid attention. Yes, that made sense.

"Captain," said Gaddes quietly, still staring out the window.

"Keep your eyes on the table, Van," muttered Allen, who took a sip of tea before saying to Gaddes, "Is it him?"

"Sure is."

Just then, they heard someone enter the tavern with heavy footsteps. This man struck up a conversation with the pretty woman at the door, but was cut short by another who urged him on. Many people turned their heads when the first man loudly protested. Van looked at Gaddes, who rolled his eyes, and then to Allen, who folded his arms and looked out the window expressionlessly.

"What's that smell?" said Van with disgust.

"Probably something I ate, young master!" roared the stranger, who suddenly appeared right behind him.

It was a mole man – a short, balding, bespectacled mole man. He had whiskers, a large belly, very large teeth, and gave off a strong smell of vino. Van stared at him in a way that must have been a little rude, and the mole man stared right back at him.

"Want us to go deaf you smelly moron?" said Gaddes irritably, sticking a finger in on ear.

"Well if it isn't _Gaddes_?" he said loudly. "How are you friend? Any more secret dealings you'd like to know about?"

He chuckled idiotically. He suddenly swayed forward onto the table, knocking the pot of tea all over the table. Van was revolted. A tired-looking man appeared behind the mole man, and Van recognised him as one of Allen's crew.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said wearily to Allen, "Someone left the cellar unlocked and this menace went through a barrel of the vino."

Allen looked furious.

"_Who_," he spat angrily, "was fool enough to leave the cellar unlocked, _and_ leave him unattended?"

Van felt deeply sorry for the man as he explained in one long stutter that he'd left his post at the mole man's door momentarily to relieve himself.

"_Even so_," said Allen, still livid, "the door should have been locked! How did he get out?"

"I'm not really sure," he said nervously. "I think he picked the lock…"

"I see," said Allen, dangerously calm, "and you're saying that no one took their task of watching him with any seriousness or sense of preparation."

The crew member shook himself and smartly said, "You're right captain, we were idiots. It won't happen again or I'll never drink again!"

This satisfied Allen, but he still surveyed the man with a little suspicion.

"You're not taking the blame for somebody else, are you Reeden?" he said slowly.

Reeden seemed to falter for a moment, before calmly responding, "Come on, sir. If I was, then how could I fess up about it now?"

"Suit yourself," said Allen, shrugging. "I don't need to tell you, then, that no one will be getting intoxicated tonight thanks to this bottomless pit."

Gaddes groaned and smacked the unconscious mole man on the back as hard as he could.

"I don't know why you had to bring him here, though," remarked Allen with a frown. "Why didn't you just tell me yourself?"

"Oh…" said Reeden, frowning as well. "Yeah, that would have made sense."

"Don't worry, sweetheart, we still love you" said Gaddes, grabbing Reeden's chin with his hand and pushing up his cheeks. Reeden bat him away viciously.

"Cut it out," said Allen, "We've got to haul this mole back to the ship, you know."

While Allen paid for the drinks and politely cancelled their reservation, everyone in the tavern stared as the other three men dragged the mole out the door. Van was annoyed to be stuck with this task, but he was mostly disappointed that the mole was currently useless to them. _How could anyone let this happen?_ Didn't they realize how crucial this source was?

Van angrily hoisted the mole through the front door with a bit too much force, and Reeden fell flat on his face when the mole's belly unexpectedly shoved him forward and made him trip down the stairs. As Van muttered a brief apology, he wondered if it was a coincidence that the mole chose this time to become intoxicated.

**break ... break**

Hitomi tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt too heavy to move. She was warm and still comfortably sleepy as she shifted her position on something soft. There was a terrible taste in her mouth and her face felt very dirty, but she was too tired to be bothered about it. A small crackling sound came from nearby and Hitomi smelt something unfamiliar. Then she heard someone cough.

As if shocked back to her senses, Hitomi immediately realized where she was supposed to be and she jerked as her eyes snapped open. There was a shadowy figure sitting by a fire and he turned around when he heard Hitomi wake up. Hitomi couldn't see him clearly because the fire, which, she now realised, was what made that crackling noise and that smell of burning wood, emanated a glare that made it too painful to look at directly.

With squinted eyes, Hitomi was a little relieved when the shadowy man approached her and shielded her from the light. But it hit her that she was being approached by a shadowy man, and Hitomi gave a start when he spoke.

"Are you hurt?" he asked in a low, gruff voice.

Hitomi shook her head.

"How do you feel? Are you sick?" he continued.

Hitomi didn't know, but was too afraid to speak. She just stared at this man with wide eyes. From this distance she could see the faint outline of his face. He had short hairs growing on his chin and halfway up his cheeks, making him look like an animal. His nose was crooked and his breath was some strong, unusual smell that made Hitomi recoil a little.

In recoiling, Hitomi looked down at herself. She saw that some thick brown covering was draped over her body which felt strange under this foreign material. Then, Hitomi sat up quickly; she was wearing a different set of clothes. They were more loose and heavier than her suit. Looking desperately around, she saw her clothes and shoes in a pile nearby. She grabbed them and held them to her chest protectively.

"Don't wear those," said the strange man warningly. "It traps all of your body heat and dehydrated you very quickly. You didn't drink any water after running so much, did you? That's why you fainted. You could have died if I didn't find you."

Hitomi was unsure how to take this information. She couldn't recall ever feeling this confused before in her life. How could her suit be dangerous to wear? Nothing like this had happened before. This man misunderstood its purpose; the suit was specially designed to be worn in all kinds of conditions. Why would her own people want to hurt her this way?

"It was probably designed this way so that anyone who escaped wouldn't go very far in them," he said, answering her question.

And then Hitomi felt all of that day's events crashing down upon her like a tidal wave. She remembered that she was forcibly taken from her comfortable, secure life, and that she was now wanted dead. _Why was this happening to her?_ Hitomi's breathing became faster and harsher. That woman – the intruder that had taken her…she was supposed to look after her, but she'd been shot. Hitomi winced and tried not to think about what had happened to her next and whether or not she was alright. All Hitomi could think about was how angry she was for what was happening to her.

Hitomi dropped her bloody clothes, shakily put her face in her hands, and bent over sobbing. The man watched her fit of inward torment the entire time, wondering if he should pity her. In the end, he decided that he would leave her alone. He stood up and picked up the thick leather belt that he'd found next to Hitomi and recognised it. The man looked from the belt to the blood on Hitomi's old suit, and he understood.

"Tell me, girl," he said, sighing heavily, "Did she die?"

**break ... break**

Allen's ship was called the Crusade. Van had seen it a few times before, but this was his first time being onboard. It seemed a great deal smaller on the inside than it did on the outside, but all leviships generally were. The Crusade was waiting for them by the cliffs just outside of Brahem, but it was still a fair bit of hiking when carrying the mole man.

On the ship, some of the crew looked watched Allen board with apprehension. Reeden gave them two thumbs up, however, and they soon became relieved. One of them stupidly asked if he'd purchased another barrel of vino to replace the one they lost, and Gaddes hit him sharply on the head.

"How are the repairs on the ship going?" said Allen, turning to Reeden.

"Pyle says he still needs more time, but he's nearly finished," Reeden replied, stretching his arms, still sore from carrying the mole man. "It'll take one or two hours, at least."

"That's fine," said Allen, folding his arms. "That'll give us time to sober up our informant a little and get some rest."

"Put me in the same room as the mole man, Allen," said Van suddenly.

Allen looked at Van with surprise. He then nodded with understanding.

"Suit yourself," said Allen. "Gaddes, you get some sleep first. I'm going to take a look at the rest of the ship."

Reeden and Gaddes helped Van carry the mole man to what would be Van's room. They unceremoniously dropped him on the floor at the corner of the room, but he continued to snore noisily as if undisturbed. Van sighed as he locked the door shut and opened the small window by the bed. A gentle breeze and a bit of sunlight crept into the room as he did, and Van sat on the hard wooden floor lest he be tempted to fall asleep.

Just then, there was a small knock on the door. Van got up and opened to see two cat girls standing before him. The taller one had long brown hair, wore a maid's uniform, and held a tray of water and bread. She kindly offered it to Van, who took it gratefully. Then she bowed and left, beckoning the smaller one to follow. This other cat girl was a head shorter than Van and had short pink hair. There was something about her that was familiar, but Van didn't know what. She just stared at him suspiciously for a moment before she left.

A few hours later, Van was woken by a gentle tugging at his clothes. He sat up so quickly that the mole man didn't have time to back away before Van seized him by the arm and dragged him to the window and pushed it open. A strong wind gushed into the room and Van saw that they were already airborne.

"What the hell did you think you were doing!" roared Van furiously as he forced the whimpering mole's head out the window. "Give it all back or you're going out the window!"

"Y-yes, sir! Anything, sir!"

The mole man hastily began unloading his pockets out onto the floor. Van goggled at the sight for a moment. A small pile was quickly forming from all of the things that the mole man carried in his pockets: a set of daggers; a piscus; some Astaurian herb that Van didn't recognise; two blue and red vials; a money pouch; a jewel pouch; a small flask of fragrant brown liquid; a tree branch; glar leaves; a set of metal tools; a thin coil of rope; a tea cup; and…

"My ring!" exclaimed Van, grabbing it at once.

"A very valuable one, too," commented the mole knowledgeably. "The band is pure white gold, and that red stone is none other than the King of the Gemstones – the ruby! You have very fine taste, young master."

"Back off," said Van, scowling. "It was my father's, and if you ever tell anyone about it..."

"Your secret's safe with me, sir," he said, bowing deeply in a way that was mocking.

Van fixed the ring back onto his finger and closed his hand in a protective fist. The ring was given to Van years ago when it was officially decided that he was the heir to the Fanelian throne; it was a symbol of his royal status and a small but important ceremony was held for Van upon his receiving it. Van recalled that day vividly because at the end of the ceremony, the Fanelian crest was tattooed onto the part of his back nearest to his left shoulder.

The mole man began reaching for his belongings when Van grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the room to speak with Allen. On their way out, Van startled a young man about his age whom Van knew to be a crew member in training, but he didn't apologise when he'd knocked him backwards into the wall on account of his heavy animal burden.

"Allen," said Van, when they found him on the deck of the ship, "our thieving friend here is sober and ready to talk."

"Good, bring him this way," said Allen, before he muttered something incoherently to Gaddes.

Allen sat Van and the mole man in a private room on the ship. Van saw the mole automatically meander to a short wooden stool, indicating that he'd been through this procedure many times before.

"Do you have the name of our assassin for us?" said Allen, standing before him with his arms crossed.

"I always did, Captain," replied the mole calmly, "and my price is still the same."

Allen paused for a moment before tossing him a small bag of coins. Suddenly Van felt like he should have contributed to this as well considering that this was coming from the crew's wages.

"Wonderful," said the mole after briefly peering into it. "Now give me a piece of paper and something to write with."

Allen gestured towards a wooden table on which both of these were. The mole walked slowly over to the table and carefully began scribbling on it.

Then, without warning, the ship tilted on one side and they were plummeting downwards. Allen had managed to grab hold of something before he fell over, but Van and the mole man slid all the way to the other side of the room face down.

From a few rooms away, Van heard a high-pitched scream and the thudding of heavy boxes of cargo tumbling down from their neatly stacked rows. Allen grabbed hold of a speaking tube and yelled for someone to respond. Pyle yelled back that something was wrong with the energists and that they weren't properly responding. Allen called for Kio and ordered him to try and land the ship.

The ship suddenly trembled violently as it was level with the treetops of a forest and began carving its way through the thick tree trunks. Wood splintered all around them, glass shattered, and the ship jerked into a different position every time a piece of it broke off. But at last the trees thinned out and the remains of the ship skidded slowly to a stop in the middle of a field.

Van felt his way around in the darkness, but because of the angle that the ship had landed on, the floor was tilted upwards and he had to climb using the furniture that had slid his way in order to reach the door and open it. The hall was no different. Everything was almost pitch black and there was a smell of blood and extinguished candles in the air.

"Is anybody out there?" he called out into the darkness.

From a short distance away, Van heard the small groan of the trainee that he'd knocked over earlier.

"Are you alright?" Van heard someone ask, and the other mumbled that he was.

"Gaddes, is that you?" said Allen from nearby. "Where's Van?"

"I'm right here," replied Van. "What about the mole man?"

Van heard some shuffling noises, the sound of the table being pushed aside, and, to his relief, the grunt of the mole man.

"Oh, now, you didn't have to jab me so hard with your bony fingers, Captain," he grumbled, trying to stand up. "Aren't there any windows in this room?"

"Oi, Captain!" somebody called out from Van's far left, "We've got an injured lady down here! This isn't good…it looks like she fell down these stairs."

"Gaddes," said Allen from behind Van, "get as many doors open as you can and get some torches lit. I'll see if Van and I can help the girl."

Van heard Allen climb past him through the door just as Gaddes flung open the door to the main deck and a stream of light poured into the hallway. Van followed Allen over to where the crew member called Teo was crouching over one of the cat girls that Van had seen earlier. She was scratched and bruised by all of the broken pieces of glass around her, and her maid's uniform looked at if it had been snagged by something sharp in a few places. Teo was busy checking for her vital signs and lifted her carefully for Allen and Van to see. Her eyes were wide open and her head was twisted at an odd angle. Allen looked at Teo inquiringly, but the other shook his head and sighed hopelessly.

"What's the matter, Sargeant?" Van heard the trainee say uncertainly. "Is she badly hurt?"

Something wasn't right about what had just happened. The timing was uncanny, and Van did not like these kinds of coincidences. He looked at Allen and wondered if he was thinking the same thing, and, judging by his somber expression, it seemed to be very possible. Were they harbouring an unwanted guest?

Allen ordered Teo and the trainee to search for the rest of the crew while he and Gaddes moved the body. Meanwhile, Van went to help the struggling mole man climb out of the room as he complained that the trainee had dropped him twice in trying to haul him up.

"It's no wonder why," said Van irritably, nearly falling backwards himself as he heaved the mole's stubbornly large bottom through the door, "How the hell are you so damn heavy!"

"Now is that the way to talk to someone who managed to keep a hold of this?" said the mole slyly, waving a small piece of paper in front of Van's face.

Van snatched at it and read it eagerly, but his face fell as he read a single crude word: _butthead_. The mole was a fraud after all! But just as Van raised his fist to hit him, he spoke quickly in Van's ear.

"That was the servants' nickname for him at the palace," said the mole, barely audible, scanning the wreckage around them for eavesdroppers.

Confused, Van was just about to ask the mole to explain himself when the sudden image of a bald head flashed across his mind. He suddenly understood and looked at the mole incredulously.

"That's right, young master," said the mole, speaking normally now, "I have nothing more to tell you – the name of your assassin I'll be keeping to myself. The risk is too great."

Van took the flaming torch from Gaddes and burned up the piece of paper. As Gaddes was leaving, Van made his way over to Allen.

"The mole is too afraid to talk anymore," he announced bitterly. "And all he left on the paper before the crash was a crooked scribble."

"_What_?" said Allen lividly, shooting a monstrous glare at the mole man who was grinning absently.

But Van pulled Allen closer to him by the arm, shaking his head seriously. Allen raised his eyebrows and looked from Van to the mole and back to Van, asking without words if Van had found out who it was. Van nodded.

"You there!" said Gaddes from the deck, making Van jump a little, "Help me get this dirt bag outta here, I think he broke his arm!"

_Who?_ mouthed Allen with concern.

"King Aston," said Van, just as the painful cry of the injured man sounded.

**break ... break**

It was hard for Hitomi to tell how dangerous this man before her was. Everything was frightening to her right now, if truth be told. Who was that woman? Who was this man? Was he one of the trained hunters from her facility and was he planning to kill her soon? What was going to happen to her? Would she be tortured in the lab as that other man was? Everywhere she went, it seemed, there was only pain waiting for her.

"Did you hear me, girl?" the man said, more loudly. "What happened to the woman that extracted you?"

Hitomi looked at him fearfully. Was he going to hurt her if she didn't answer quicky? And what would happen to her if she did? She wanted desperately to say something, but didn't quite know how to express herself properly.

"Look," said the man, impatiently but not threateningly, "You have little choice but to trust me right now. If you don't, you could very well get us both killed, and if you're too troublesome for me to handle, I may as well just kill you and bring your dead body back."

Hitomi was now more frightened than ever. It felt as though he had threatened her with death many times by now, and she no longer thought anything except of how afraid she was. It was just too much. All of this change, the unhygienic conditions, the pain…everything was just too much. She begun to tremble all over and, not knowing what else to do, she started crying.

The man watched her cry with a blank look on his face. Frankly, he didn't envy her. This girl was strange-looking, to be sure, but it was clear that she was as human as anyone else – contrary to what he'd been expecting. In some ways, this was a relief, since he would more or less understand how to deal with her, but it also made him want to sympathize with her as he imagined how traumatic this entire affair must be to her. These were dangerous grounds for thought, and the man inwardly shook himself. _He must not get attached to the subject_.

Eventually, Hitomi's tears subsided and she lay there hiccupping, her back to the man to avoid looking at him, making the man feel unexpectedly harsh and cruel. He sighed, trying to compartmentalize his emotions from his work. Eventually, he decided that he had to calm her down at the very least – he couldn't afford more breakdowns like this later on. So he pulled the blankets up over her shoulders, tucking her in, and tried to be reasonable as he spoke to her.

"Tell me your name, and I'll tell you mine," he said offhandedly.

At first, it seemed that she would make no move to reply, but after a moment or two, she said, "My name is Hitomi, but please call me Leis."

"Fine, Leis," he said quietly, "My name is Lucas, but please don't call me anything."

**break ... break**

**Author's Note:**

Hello, and thanks for reading chapter two! The updating of this story was possible with the help of my brilliant beta-reader Chocolate-Covered-Coffee-Beans, as well as all of the really great reviews that I'd gotten. Thank you so much, everybody, it all means a lot.

I took quite a while to update this story and feel pretty guilty about it. Updating will be even harder after this point because I'll be working nine hours a day from now until the 26th…yuck, yuck, yuck. My feet are in so much pain from today (ten hours outside)! I will do my best to write whenever I can, though. Please leave any comments, questions, or criticisms you have for this chapter!


	3. The Choice

The cat girl carefully crept around the cargo that cramped the dark, narrow corridor. She was careful to touch nothing as she made her way to a sliver of light, indicating a partially opened doorway. A murmur of voices came from within, inaudible to all but her delicate feline hearing.

"How'd it go, Captain?"

This was the voice of Gaddes, second in command and the most loyal of Allen's soldiers on the Crusade. He also happened to have an alcohol tolerance second only to that of the Mole man. Gaddes, of course, was rather more capable of staying sober on the job than he. The length of the abstinence varied, depending on the seriousness of the work at hand, and the cat girl could tell it had been many moons since Gaddes was allowed a proper drink.

"There have been strange rumours in Asturia," said a different voice, belonging to the Captain himself, "some of which possibly relating to our situation."

"How so?"

Another voice – one the cat girl recognised as King Van Fanel's.

"Aston has been investigating a variety of new technologies," said Allen. "I don't know exactly what technologies these are, but it sounds like a kind of advanced weaponry."

"Advanced weaponry?" repeated Gaddes slowly. "He's mobilizing his army, then?"

"It certainly sounds like he's trying to develop Asturia's military strength," replied Allen quietly.

"Is Aston planning an invasion?" interjected Van.

"That's what I thought at first," Allen said grimly, "but my sources tell me otherwise. All forces have been called to gather around the Asturian border – a poor decision in terms of offensive strategy."

"Why?" asked Van, confused.

"Because the Asturian military is huge," said Allen simply. "It's larger than any other army on the Inner Continent. It can afford to divide into many divisions, and each of these can easily tackle a small country let alone rival other armed forces."

"So?"

"So Asturia's forces are always kept divided," said Gaddes. "That way there are soldiers to spare in case the capital gets attacked, or when a colony needs straightening out while there's fighting going on elsewhere. But the main reason they stay in their divisions is so that, in time of war, Asturian soldiers can completely surround their enemies and converge on them as one."

"I see," said Van, nodding in comprehension. "So if Aston is gathering his entire army around Palas, it must be for defensive reasons."

"Yes," said Allen. "What I don't yet know is what exactly he's trying to defend Asturia _against_."

Gaddes grunted in agreement.

"But what does this have to do with Fanelia?" asked Van. "We're not in any position to oppose Asturia."

"I'm not sure yet, Van," replied Allen, who was frowning. "But I have a strong feeling that your assassination was key in Aston's plans."

The meeting was coming to an end, and the cat girl decided to sneak away. She slowly backed away from the door on all fours. As she did so, her foot nudged against a chair and accidentally made a dull scraping noise. The cat girl froze in terror, hoping against hope that no-one had heard. Unfortunately, she was not so lucky.

**≈ Chapter Three: The Choice ≈**

Within seconds, the door flung open. A near-blinding light fell upon her, and she could barely make out the shapes of three tall figures before her. For a moment, nobody moved. Then, she was roughly seized by the hair and dragged into the room. The cat girl wanted to cry out, but she was too scared to even breathe. She was tossed into a corner as the door slammed shut, and she instinctively curled into a ball. A dagger was drawn, and the cat girl knew what it meant – she was going to die.

"Why were you spying on us?" said the Captain quietly.

His tone was deadly, and the girl began to tremble.

"Answer truthfully, or Gaddes will have to kill you," said Allen, more loudly.

The cat girl slowly raised her head. She took one look at Allen, with his fierce expression, then to Gaddes, and then to the dagger in his hand. Before she could stop herself, she began to cry.

"Stop that," spat Gaddes angrily. "We know you're the traitor! Tell us who sent you and I'll make your death painless."

The cat girl cried even harder. She started writhing on the spot, clawing at the wall as if feebly trying to climb up it. Seeing this as a trick, Gaddes pulled her away from it and threw her by the table. Her head smacked a table corner, making her accidentally bite her tongue. A trickle of blood dribbled from her mouth. Allen stepped forward to speak with her, but she lashed out at him with her claws. Van, in the meantime, watched with a disturbed expression on his face.

"We don't have time for this," said Allen dismissively. "Gaddes, toss her overboard if you please."

"Yessir."

Gaddes bent down and seized the hysterical cat girl by the ankles. He managed to hoist her up without much effort, but she swung forth and sunk her teeth and claws into his left knee. Gaddes cried out and dropped her at once. The cat girl scampered back to her corner, one claw held up and ready to strike. Finally, Allen stepped forth and drew his sword.

"Now you will die," he said, coldly indifferent. "I didn't want to spill blood on my ship, but you've left me no choice. Prepare yourself."

Allen stared down at the frightened little girl. She was still crouched in a defensive stance and did not drop her gaze, even though she was fully aware that he would kill her instantly. Allen felt a twinge of regret as he raised his sword; slaying Beastmen was against his principles. Still, pitiful as she was, this girl was helping the traitor if she wasn't the traitor herself. There was no sparing her.

Allen moved forward and struck. It was a quick motion, faster than the blink of an eye. He had intended to give the cat girl a painless death. And yet, painlessly though she should have ended, Allen's brilliant thrust did not meet its intended victim – it clashed instead against a shining Fanelian blade.

"Allen, wait," said Van, who stepped in just in time.

"What now, kid?" snapped Gaddes impatiently.

"You'd better have a good reason for this, Van," said Allen coldly.

"I do," replied Van firmly. "I think you're jumping to conclusions. What actual proof is there that she's done wrong?"

"Why else would she be eavesdropping on our conversation?" Allen retorted.

"There could be plenty of reasons, and you know it," said Van, glaring at him. "Think about this, Allen. She's acting as any frightened child might! Do you really want to execute this girl based on your split-second assumptions?"

Allen gave him a hard look. It took a moment for these words to sink in. For one tense second, nobody dared move. Then, slowly, Allen relaxed his stance and calmly sheathed his sword.

"You have a point," he said quietly.

Van continued to frown at him, determined to see this change through.

"Captain?" said Gaddes hesitantly, with a questioning glance at Allen.

"I think I'll trust Van on this," said Allen, still looking at the cat girl. "We should keep her under close watch, however."

"I'll do it," said Van, at once.

"Good," replied Allen. "Get some rest, then. This meeting is over."

Allen turned away and strode out of the room. Gaddes did the same, his eyes momentarily darting between Van and the cat girl. The remaining pair kept frozen on the spot, while the others' footsteps quickly died away. After a few minutes of hearing nothing but the constant hum of the ship's engine, Van sheathed his own sword and turned around.

"Are you alright?" he asked the little girl, uncertainly.

The girl didn't move. She was still somewhat in her defensive stance, but slightly recoiled out of her position in fear. Van got down on one knee to be level with her. He did not want to impose his sympathy onto the girl, nor would he regard her condescendingly.

"Do you need medicine for pain?" he asked.

Van surveyed her reaction carefully. The girl only widened her eyes in response to his questions. She was obviously too frightened to answer him properly; Van took this to mean that she was hurt, but distracted. Unknowingly, he softened his expression. As a Fanelian, demi-humans were like a natural ally to him. Though Beastmen were often mistreated, Van found them generally more trustworthy than humans.

"I have to watch you for a while," he said calmly. "We're going to stay here for the night. Are you sure you're not hurt?"

Slowly, cautiously, the girl shook her head.

"That's good," replied Van quietly. "Here, take this."

He found a folded blanket in a corner, picked it up and laid it next to her. Then he got up and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He did not glance at the girl again to notice her expression, but he could probably guess what it was. Sure enough, when the cat girl felt safe enough to curl up on top of the folded blanket, her eyes were brimmed with fresh tears.

Out in the dark corridor, Van sat down and leaned against the wall opposite the door. He closed his eyes, but did not sleep.

**……………………………………………………………………………………..**

"Leis, are you awake?"

Hitomi opened her eyes. She felt something rough and unpleasant against her face – dirt from the floor of the cave. Sitting up, she raised a hand to her face and wiped it off. As she did so, she noticed with unease how the dirt clung to her palm. She folded her fingers so that they rubbed against her palm, and some of the dirt fell away. A few rocks clung to it still, and Hitomi continued to feel unclean.

A short distance away, she heard a low chuckle. Lucas was watching her with amusement, his arms crossed and his back against the cave wall. Between them were the glowing remnants of last night's fire.

"You don't sleep very soundly, do you?" he remarked with his low, scratchy voice.

Hitomi was confused. He technically asked her a question, and yet it felt more like a remark. It was a strange way of speaking, and she didn't know how to respond. Luckily, he did not seem to expect one. If anything, her blank expression amused him further.

"I...don't know how I sleep," replied Hitomi slowly.

Lucas fell silent. He suddenly looked at her with calculating eyes. It reminded Hitomi of being scanned for her physical examinations. Something told her, however, that Lucas was trying to determine something besides her lung capacity. She watched him watching her with almost as much interest. It would seem a very strange moment, had anyone else been there.

"Are you thirsty?" asked Lucas abruptly.

This question she understood.

"Yes I am," said Hitomi, nodding for emphasis.

"Go get yourself some water, then," he replied. "Come back here when you're done."

Hitomi's face went blank again. How was she supposed to get water when the water dispenser in her room was now impossible to reach? A crease appeared in her brow as Hitomi wondered if this was some kind of test. Lucas continued to watch her shrewdly.

"I must go and get the water?" she asked him uncertainly.

"Unless you'd rather die of thirst," he replied simply.

Hitomi was confused. The woman, who had _extracted her_, as Lucas had termed it previously, had warned Hitomi that she would be killed as well, presumably if she did not avoid the people from her home. Now Lucas was telling her to return home or die of thirst. His command seemed to contradict the dead woman's warning. Something was not right. Which order was Hitomi supposed to comply to?

"Well?" said Lucas coolly. "What are you waiting for?"

Hitomi frowned at him. There was no time – Lucas expected an answer.

"I cannot go back," she said firmly.

Lucas gave her a long look, contemplating his next response.

"You won't go to get water?" he asked slowly.

"No."

A significant pause followed. At that moment, both of them knew that something strange had occurred; only Lucas understood what it meant. Suddenly, Hitomi felt different. She was now aware of something unknown within her – something spontaneous that caused her to make a decision between two equal choices.

Lucas surveyed her reaction intently. He own reactions he guarded with great caution. It was not his job to show her what others did.

"I will get the water," he said finally.

He rose and strode to the mouth of the cave. There, he stopped and spoke without looking at her. He said,

"Do not leave the cave."

Hitomi looked back at him blankly; to reply with an affirmative was unnecessary. Lucas seemed to expect the same. He swiftly darted away from the cave. His speed and agile movements reminded Hitomi of those of the dead woman.

**……………………………………………………………………………………..**

"Shit, this is boring!"

It was just past dawn, and three bitter-looking men were manning the controls on the deck of the Crusade. Gaddes was among them, supposedly keeping a watchful eye on the crew's morale. As it happened, his own morale had hit rock bottom long ago. But Allen didn't need to know that.

"Shut up, Reeden," said Gaddes, though he said it half-heartedly. "Keep to your post."

"_Come on_, Sergeant...you hate this as much as I do," said Reeden, leaning away from his periscope.

"Reeden, you're whining like a seven-year old girl again," said Pyle, a red-nosed crew member with shaggy brown hair.

"Up yours," Reeden yawned back.

To Gaddes's relief, Reeden and Pyle were both too sleepy to pick a fight. They settled down to small talk instead, appearing to Gaddes like a pair of elderly women engrossed in neighbourly gossip.

"That new kid is getting on my nerves."

"Who doesn't?"

"Shut up, I mean it! Every time I try to sneak down to the cargo bay for some liquor, there he is..."

"He's probably up to the same thing as you. You ought to team up."

"Go to hell."

"Weird though, he doesn't seem like the drinking type."

"That's what I'm saying! If you ask me, he's looking for something to steal. Maybe from the safe..."

"What was the Captain thinking, hiring a _non-drinker_?"

"...I don't get it."

"Me neither."

Gaddes ignored all this, deep in thought. His mind was constantly wandering back to a conversation he'd had with Allen a few weeks ago.

"We need to figure out who the traitor is, Gaddes," Allen had said, solemnly. "I can't discuss this with the men – you know why. Can I trust you with this?"

"'Course you can, Captain."

"Good," said Allen.

It wasn't that his men weren't trustworthy – Gaddes had understood that. But their drinking habits were so uncontrolled that it would impair their judgement, potentially in the presence of the traitor. They couldn't be included, therefore, in any crucial discussions.

It was unfortunate – Gaddes hated that kind of secrecy; the crew was most effective when everyone could be informed, and therefore cooperate properly. That was the kind of loyalty they held. But lately, Gaddes rarely knew what was going on himself. He understood the restlessness of his crew. No one knew why their orders were given. They had no substantial cause to fuel them forward. They would never doubt their Captain, but blindly following orders all the time could only last so long.

Sometimes, Gaddes considered mentioning that a traitor was onboard. Of course, he shook that notion from his head immediately; the last thing he needed was for people getting paranoid or overly suspicious. No, he wouldn't allow his crew to become divided.

"What the hell time is it? Isn't my shift over yet?" whined Reeden. "If Katz thinks he's sleeping in, I'll shove his stupid ass in the furnace."

"Like hell you could," muttered Pyle.

"Hey! I heard that, jackass!"

Who could the traitor be? Gaddes knew that his crew would rather die than betray him. If someone was bribed by King Aston, though... it wasn't like he didn't have the money. There _was_ the new hire to consider, but he didn't seem to have to wits. In Gaddes's mind, the most likely to betray them was that beast girl. Not only had she been caught eavesdropping, but both she and the girl who'd been killed in the accident had been transferred directly from the Royal Palace. The more Gaddes thought about it, the more it made sense. So why did the Captain and that kid think differently?

"Sergeant!" cried Reeden, suddenly. "I see a carrier ship ahead! They're signalling for us to stop!"

"What kind of ship is it?" said Allen, who had suddenly appeared on deck.

"Asturian, sir!"

"_Shit!_" hissed Gaddes under his breath.

Allen looked at him and sighed.

"Indeed."

**……………………………………………………………………………………..**

Van jerked awake – someone had grabbed his arm. He immediately went for his sword, but stopped himself in time. The Fanelian crest was barely past the sheath as Van realized who had woken him.

"Oh, it's you," he said, relaxing slightly.

The cat girl looked back at him anxiously. She had tentatively put a hand on his arm to wake him, but she withdrew it at once, and scrambled away from him terrified. Van tried to look apologetic.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, sounding tired. "You startled me."

Van carefully let the sword slip back into the sheath. He looked at the cat girl, who now hid behind the door of the room she'd slept in. Van got to his feet.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" he asked.

She said nothing. Van took this as a 'yes'.

"I thought as much," said Van, grinning slightly. "Come with me."

Van took a few steps down the corridor. He turned back to see that the girl had not moved.

"_Come on_," he said. "You don't want to starve, do you?"

She seemed to consider this. Cautiously, she left her hiding place and approached him. Satisfied, Van led the way to the galley. There wasn't much to eat – just rock hard bread loaves and jerked meat. The girl seemed hungry enough, however, to not complain. Van chewed on a strip of jerky and watched his companion sniff at boxes of tea leaves. Her childlike curiosity was refreshing compared to the loutish crew of the Crusade.

"What's your name?" asked Van, after a little while.

The girl, who started filing her claws on the wooden floor, looked startled.

"Do you know mine?" said Van, who didn't expect an immediate answer. "You do, don't you?"

The girl nodded slowly.

"Isn't it fair that I know yours, then?"

A pause, and then...

"Merle," she whispered.

Her voice was scratchy from being so seldom used. Van was pleased with this new development, however.

Suddenly, their attention was diverted. A loud series of yelling and thumping above told them that the entire crew had just been woken. Also, the ship seemed to be slowing down. Van wondered what was going on. Without waiting another minute, he ran up to the deck, Merle at his heels.

"What's going on?" he asked Kio, who was running up the stairs ahead of him.

Kio didn't appear to hear what he said. Annoyed, Van turned to another – Teo.

"Why are we slowing down?" he said, seizing Teo by the arm to stop him.

"Piss off, kid!" Teo snapped, wrenching his arm away.

Van swore. When he reached the deck, everyone was in a panic. Allen and Gaddes were both shouting orders at the top of their lungs, while the crew glued themselves to the ship's controls.

"Come on, you bums! You can do better than that!" cried Gaddes.

Van looked out of the windows and saw a small cargo ship trailing behind closely. From its deck, Van could see a small white light flashing in a rhythmic fashion, and understood it as a signal to stop. The Crusade was in turn preparing a fast landing on a plateau up ahead. Van squinted closely at the cargo ship, and realized that it was of Asturian design.

"Captain," Gaddes said to Allen. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Let's not cast suspicion on ourselves unless necessary," replied Allen simply. "They can't be sure that Van is onboard."

It wasn't long before both ships were safely landed and extending bridges to one another. Allen, Gaddes, and four crew members went out to meet them. Van was forced to watch at a distance, while keeping an eye on Merle. They were surrounded by the rest of the crew, all shoving against each other to get a look. Merle, in danger of being squashed, clung to Van's arm.

"Damn...I can't hear a thing!"

"Move outta the way!"

"Both of you shut up!"

"Wait a minute...there's a girl with them!"

"A nice-looking one too...hang on, isn't that –?"

Van felt a wave of bodies crushing against him. Someone had managed to create a berth of space for himself to get the best view. This, of course, was none other than the Mole man.

"Ah, yes! That is Princess Millerna!" he cried, jovially clapping his hands together. "How excellent!"

"What do you mean, _excellent_?" muttered Van, incredulously.

He watched anxiously as Allen spoke with the Captain of the cargo ship. Allen made some calm gestures, while the other was scratching his head, apparently torn. In the end, it was clear that Allen got his way. The Captain gave a few orders to his men, and stepped back to let Allen escort Princess Millerna onto the Crusade.

As she walked past, a fresh wave of wolf-whistles followed her, but she graciously ignored them. Her feigned ignorance gave way, however, when she caught sight of Van. Van politely inclined his head and stared at the ground until Allen urged Millerna to move on. The two of them, accompanied by Gaddes, immediately shut themselves in a room to ensure a private discussion. After several minutes, Gaddes came out to lock Van in his room and ordered him to stay out of sight. Merle was still glued to Van's side.

Hours later, someone knocked gently on the door. Merle, who had been napping next to it, jumped up and scrambled over to Van. Van stood up with his fists clenched, ready to give Allen hell. To his surprise, he faced Princess Millerna herself.

"Good evening, Van," she said with a delighted smile.

Van said nothing. His eyes flicked to her side where Allen stood smirking – he knew that Van wouldn't dare start a fight in the presence of a lady.

"You were right about his disposition, Allen," remarked Millerna, in what was intended to be a charming manner. "Your foul temper can be detected from miles away, Van!"

"I beg your pardon," said Van, curtly. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Not really," replied Millerna easily, not in the least bothered by this abruptness. "I only wanted to make introductions. I am a part of this crew now, after all."

"What?" Van blurted out without thinking.

Allen frowned with disapproval.

"Princess, I must stress the indiscretion of your decision," he said in a stern voice. "My ship is no place for a lady like yourself."

"Are you worried that I'll be troublesome, Allen?" said Millerna, smiling.

"Yes," Allen replied.

"Well, you shouldn't be – I'm perfectly able to take care of myself," she said, unabashed. "_Besides_, it's not like you can abandon me now that the cargo ship has left."

"Perhaps I will, seeing as you're so self-sufficient, Your Highness," replied Allen, smoothly.

Van cleared his throat loudly.

"Are there any other developments I need to know about?" he said, unimpressed.

"Well...Allen can be the judge of that," said Millerna, thoughtfully. "I'm not as useless as you make me out to be, you know."

Van looked at her indifferently.

"Princess Millerna brings word from her fiancée, Dryden Fassa," said Allen. "He's the eldest son of Meiden Fassa."

"I know who he is," said Van shortly.

"Then you must know that Dryden has a younger brother living in Vadria?"

At the mention of Vadria, Van's stomach lurched unpleasantly. Allen noticed, but said nothing.

"Edward is valuable for his many contacts within the nobility of Vadria," he continued. "He recently wrote to Dryden about political tensions between Vadria and Asturia. Apparently, King Aston refuses to aid underdeveloped countries up north."

"Did Aston give a reason for this?" asked Van, glancing briefly at Millerna.

"No," said Allen, "but the reason is clear enough. You see, one of those underdeveloped countries is Baltess. Formerly an Asturian colony, King Aston was forced by the Inner Continental Alliance to forfeit his claim on it."

"I think I've heard about that before," said Van. "Asturia invaded Baltess twenty-seven years ago, correct? And after twelve years as an Asturian colony, the Inner Continental Alliance staged a military intervention, calling King Aston's invasion morally corrupt."

Millerna shook her head sadly.

"It was unfair," she said. "Invasion is wrong, but every member of the Alliance has been guilty of it many times before. They had no right to suddenly get self-righteous on Father like that!"

"The Alliance was probably afraid that Asturia was gaining too much power," remarked Van bitterly. "It had nothing to do with morals."

"I agree," said Allen quietly. "In any case, twelve years ago, the Alliance combined their forces and moved in on Baltess. The Asturian soldiers resisted, under King Aston's orders, but they were exponentially outnumbered. The soldiers were slaughtered like cattle, including four Knights Caeli."

"I'll never understand why Father fought so hard for that colony," said Millerna, with frustration. "Why didn't he just let them retreat? So many lives could have been saved!"

"Many suspected that King Aston had some ulterior motive," said Allen slowly.

"What do you mean?" asked MIllerna at once.

Allen shook his head at her in a resigned way, and Millerna sighed. However, Van caught Allen's eye and immediately knew that there was something more to this theory.

"The story ends with Baltess regaining her independence," resumed Allen, "but the country is now in dire need to replenish the resources wiped out by the Asturians. The Alliance agreed to send Baltess, as well as a select few developing countries, money and manpower. Only Asturia refused to cooperate."

"I suppose King Aston is still holding a grudge?" asked Van, raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps," replied Allen, looking at Van significantly again. "We'll find out sooner or later. I'm afraid we must end this discussion now. The hour is late. Princess, I think it's time we showed you to your room."

As Allen and Millerna left, Van sat down thinking deeply about what had passed. Merle was curled up on the floor. She had fallen back asleep, the talk of politics and war being beyond her interest. Van gently tucked a pilled under her head, and covered her with a blanket. Then he lay on his own bed, listening to her faint purring as he played Allen's story over in his mind.

He knew that Allen had unearthed these events for a reason. King Aston wasn't simply holding a grudge – he had some kind of strategy in mind, Van was sure of it. First the weapons developments, then King Aston's strange antagonism with Baltess... What did King Aston know about this insignificant country that no one else did?

"Eline, help me," mumbled Merle in her sleep. "...I can't find the bathroom."

Van smiled at this. _A traitor, indeed._

**……………………………………………………………………………………..**

"Kio, we're going too far west."

"Sorry, Captain," replied Kio through gritted teeth, struggling with the steering wheel. "It's this damned wind..."

Outside, a fierce storm was raging. The surface of the dark sea below them was a constant collision of huge waves, drenching the ship more than the rain itself. The wind was even deadlier, however. Try as he might, Kio could not keep the ship in a steady direction. As soon as he righted their direction, a powerful surge of wind came crashing at them from the east. Despite all this, Allen was determined to go north. At this rate, they would be flying at a 45-degree tilt the whole way.

"The storm will pass," said Allen simply. "Where's Gaddes?"

"Sir?"

"Gaddes, tell the men that we have a new destination."

Allen's voice was full of anticipation. Gaddes gave him an uneasy look, but shrugged it off.

"Where are we going, sir?" he asked.

All eyes were on Allen now, except perhaps Kio's.

"I think," Allen replied, with perfect nonchalance, "it's time we found out what all the fuss is about."

"All right you lazy bums, you heard him!" shouted Gaddes to everyone on deck. "To Baltess!"

**……………………………………………………………………………………..**

**Robo's**** Note:**

Hey everyone, thanks for reading chapter 3! I'm on a story-revival mission here and decided to finally update this one. I hope this chapter isn't too different from the others. Please let me know what you think! And don't forget to Spread the Love.

Thanks to everybody who has reviewed the last couple of chapters. Also, a huge thanks to my fantastic beta reader Steph, or **Chocolate-Covered-Coffee-Beans**, for the great feedback and for catching all those details I'm too lazy to deal with on my own!


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